Beer Gardens London
 | If you pay close enough attention sooner or later you are going to hear
someone use the phrase "beer garden". Beer gardens have been around for
quite a long time and, almost certainly, you have been in one at least
once in your drinking life, even if you have been home beer brewing for a
long time.
Beer Gardens London The term started in 19th century Germany. A king of Bavaria from 1825 to 1848, Ludwig I, was something of a micro manager and often immersed himself in the most mundane details. One of these details was that he decreed that the dark lager beer Bavaria was famous for could only be brewed during the cold winter months because the fermentation for brewing this beer worked best at temperatures between 39 and 46 degrees. Of course if the brewing beer in winter means it will probably be drunk in summer when the temperatures are much higher. To solve this problem in an age before refrigeration the beer breweries of the time dug beer cellars into the banks of the Isar River. With the rivers source high in the Alps, its water is very cold and it kept the beer at the desired temperature. To help, the breweries also added layers of gravel and planted trees to provide additional insulation from the warm summer temperatures. But no refrigeration meant that the beer really couldn't be moved very far before becoming warmer than the optimum drinking temperature so, again, the brewers had an idea; if you can't take the beer to the customers, then bring the customers to the beer. They set up tables and chairs under the newly planted trees and the "beer garden" was born. Very quickly the term was applied to any open air location where beer was served and many taverns and bars would have an attached garden. The earliest beer garden in the United States seems to have been Castle Gardens which opened in 1824 on the site of a fort originally built to defend Manhattan from the British in the war of 1812. New York City also hosts the oldest continually operating beer garden on 24th in the Astoria section of Queens. Known as Bohemian Hall, and operated by the Bohemian Citizens Benevolent Society, it is a catering hall with a bar and beer garden attached. This establishment has been proudly serving since 1919. Today, the beer garden is under stress in the United Sates as land prices make it ever more expensive to set aside a plot dedicated to savoring the beer brewing arts in the great outdoors. But in areas with less population density, or more available land area, the beer garden continues to be very much enjoyed. Also, the many different beer festivals held around the country each year will almost always have a beer garden set aside within the festival boundaries. Another country with severe land restrictions is Japan. But the beer garden is thriving there as many are located on the roofs of office buildings and apartment houses. There is something to be said about such efficient use of space! Beer Gardens London |
